The Money. The Players. The business of professional sports, from high school to college to the pros.

NFL

September 20, 2007

Sports Business Journal did a terrific “In-Depth” examination on athlete behavior. The whole thing is worth reading, but the interview with former Jets and Patriots RB and the NFL’s fourth all-time leading rusher, Curtis Martin, stands out. Unfortunately you have to have to subscribe to the Journal or its sister publication, Sports Business Daily, to read the entire interview. Below are a couple of Martin's answers:On being a role modelI take being a role model very seriously. I take it just as seriously as I take my performance on the field. So in the same way that I prepare for a game, I prepare my life—the way I do things, the way I think—in a manner that is worthy of being a role model. I realize the position I’m in and the influence I have, not only on my teammates, but on guys around the NFL who might look up to me in sort of a big brother way. So being the proper example for kids and fans and colleagues and friends and family is tremendously important.

On the pressure put on pro athletes by familiesThe type of pressure that friends and family can put on you is unbelievable. One thing that I always try to preach to some of the younger athletes is to get good at saying no. Most of us feel so obligated because we are the only one, probably in our entire generation of our family tree, who has had this kind of success. The whole tree comes after you. When to say no and when to say yes, on top of trying to have a successful career, is overwhelming many times...One of the most difficult parts of being a professional athlete is dealing with that whole tree coming after you, and dealing with the pressure of taking care of not only your own family, but every family that’s even close to you. If you don’t have anyone to help you sift through that process, it’s extremely hard…I think the general public equates wisdom with money, and there’s nothing further from the truth. People wonder, with all the money you make, how could you do something that stupid? I think that more money opens you up to doing something that stupid.

September 13, 2007

We can all breath a sigh of relief that Buffalo Bills player Kevin Everett is out of imminent medical danger and he may even walk again. We all hope Everett can recover to lead a somewhat normal life. What happened to him is everyone's worst fear: that someone doing what they love suffers a career-ending (or in this case, a life-threatening) injury.

Society may love the finished product of sausages and football, but
most would prefer not to know how these great American staples are made.

Injuries are an inherent part of pushing the limits of human performance, as professional athletes do every day. What happened to Everett last Sunday is everybody's worst fear. Football players may not fully grasp the true risks of playing (perhaps it's better they do not), but it is something that everyone needs to look at.

In capitalism, we compensate for risk. The saying goes: “No risk, no reward.” Think of the converse: In exchange for great risk, athletes deserve to be highly compensated. While many have questioned the NFL for not doing enough to help its retired players, NFL players are compensated for playing a violate sport. (They also receive medical coverage for 5 years after they retire.) Certainly more can and should be done to assist retired players, but at least this issue is being addressed.

At the same time, we should not forget where our NFL beasts come from. They are bred in the high-tech, win-at-whatever-price-boosters-are-willing-to-pay world of college football. In terms of concussive impact, college football is no longer a quantum leap from the NFL. It was once rare to have a 300-pound offensive lineman in the NFL; now I doubt there are many sub-300 pounders playing for a BCS conference school. Lawrence Taylor broke the mold for linebackers when he entered the NFL in 1981; today he is the mold--6'4 and 240 pounds of sheer terror.

A couple weeks ago Tim Layden wrote about the "The Big Hit" in Sports Illustrated. The article's subtitle succinctly frames the issue: "Players live for it, fans love it, media celebrate it -- and all bemoan its devastating consequences. The brutal collision of bodies is football's lifeblood, and the NFL's biggest concern." Layden follows up with another article this week, "The hits keep coming." Both articles are worth reading.

August 25, 2007

Now that Vick has plead guilty, our nation can turn its attention to settling a more pressing question: Which is worse, killing dogs or betting on dogs?

The reasonable answer: Dog killing is despicable, heinous and disturbing. Illegal sports gambling by NFL players is prohibited -- so the NFL will factor in the gambling element when it comes to determining Michael Vick's fate as a football player. But Vick will always be remembered as -- and pay the steepest price for -- killing dogs.

But what do I know? I don't get paid to write opinions like this.

Here's what extremely well-compensated studio announcers Bob Costas, Peter King, Tiki Barber, and Chris Collingsworth had to say on NBC's Football Night in America. (Thanks to Jon Stewart we can laugh at some very strange commentary.)

Costas: "We're looking at Michael Vick not showing up in the NFL until again 2010."

Stewart: "My god, that's almost 28 dog years from now."

Collingsworth: "Peter, what about the gambling? The dog fighting might be the least of his concerns."

King: "You said it absolutely right. I am told the League is as concerned, maybe more so, about the gambling aspect than about the dog fighting."

Really? Roger Goodell has been masterful in his statements since becoming NFL commish. It's very questionable that the NFL, the most well-oiled machine in professional sports, would put out something so greasy. No question the gambling aspect compounds Vick's problems, but this is not a rock/paper/scissors game -- where gambling smashes dog killing.

The whole exchange is classic -- and worth viewing...but you must do so on Comedy Central's website, not mine. Viacom (which owns Comedy Central) is suing Youtube.com for a $1 billion. Of greater concern: My wife, Debbie Spander, is a lawyer...get ready for the punchline...at Comedy Central. If I can avoid receiving a cease and desist letter from my wife...on corporate letterhead...that's a good day.

June 24, 2007

A quick google search of "Sean Jones" and his investment firm "Amoroq" and you begin to see a disturbing pattern. Not only is Jones a bad speller with a penchant for silly metaphors, but he's also a slimy fraudster.

Back in his post-NFL heyday, Sean Jones was an agent, "representing" top NFL players such as Courtney Brown and Julius Peppers. He was also a financial adviser who founded Amaroq, which advised not only many professional athlete clients, but was also paid $60,000 per year by the NFLPA to provide advice about its pension plan.

Amaroq listed a “who’s who” of famous sports clients, including
John Elway, Dan Marino, Jeff Hostettler, Corey Dillon, Ed McCaffrey, Harris
Barton, Aaron Taylor, and Courtney Brown. In reality, these were clients of sports agent Marvin Demoff, who had some type of business relationship with Sean Jones.

At AMAROQ we utilize computer algrorithms[SIC] to do the
combinationatorial [SIC IF THAT'S IN FACT AN ACTUAL WORD] mathematics and to
identify a limited number of candidate portfolios.

And:

Scoring the game should be more than just counting the runs.
We seek to go beyond the numbers of a manager or a portfolio of managers, and
explain the "whys" of manager and portfolio performance. While a
rising tide may lift all boats, it takes constant oversight in order to
differentiate investment skill from market performance. [OR IF YOU INVESTED WITH JONES, YOUR BOAT SINKS]

Amaroq Asset Management is in regular contact with all
managers charged with investing client assets, and when the situation warrants
we require managers to report all account activity on a daily basis in order to
ensure appropriate oversight and risk control. [OH REALLY?]

And discussing its retirement consulting services:

We also assist our clients in determining the adequacy of
communication materials, and developing customized presentations and materials
for their plan participants. By allowing us to assist them, our clients have
been able to successfully establish their programs while safely navigating the
fiduciary waters that are so fought [THE WORD SHOULD BE FRAUGHT] with peril.

In a 2000 profile by Northeastern magazine (his alma mater), Jones said he managed a hedge fund. Apparently it wasn’t doing well. So bad, in fact, that he resorted to Yiddish to describe the fund’s poor performance. Said Jones, “It's
putzing along. It's had its trials and tribulations”

Not only was Jones a former NFL player, but his firm once did business
with the NFLPA. According to an undated ESPN.com article by Len Pasquarelli,
“The problem for the NFLPA is that Jones' asset management company, Amaroq, is
paid $60,000 annually by the union to help choose money managers with whom to
invest funds. Documents that were filed by the NFLPA with the U.S. Department
of Labor, and which were obtained by ESPN.com, confirm that amount.”

Len adds, "Jones has essentially been a poster boy for conflicts of
interest since his retirement. He is noted as a 'prominent agent' in [a] magazine article, but rarely represents a player, instead turning over
negotiations to Los Angeles-based agent Marvin Demoff, one of the pioneers of
the business. And his cozy status with the NFLPA has raised eyebrows over the years."

Bottom line: I hope Jones' days working with NFL players, whether for a team or as an agent or financial advisor, are over.

June 19, 2007

It began in 1976 as an opportunity to "do something nice for someone for no
reason." That someone is the last pick in the NFL draft.

When Paul Salata founded the Mr. Irrelevant 32 years ago the football player selected last was pretty much irrelevant. Not so today. 1999 Mr. Irrelevant winner Jim Finn is the starting fullback of the New
York Giants. This year Mr. Irrevant is Ramzee Robinson, cornerback from
Alabama, was selected by the Detroit Lions. Here's a look at the number of rounds through the years:

Years

Rounds

1950-59

30

1960-66

20

1967-76

17

1977-92

12

1993

8

1994-present

7

Now that there are fewer rounds in the NFL draft, the Mr. Irrelevant Trophy is no longer something to mock.

Ramzee Robinson is being honored throughout the week, highlighted by a banquet on Wednesday where he will be presented with the Lowsman Trophy. Doubtful we'll ever see players striking the Lowsman pose, like we do the Heisman. The statue depicts a player dropping the ball.

June 15, 2007

Former NFL pro and current con artist Sean Jones irritates me. I wrote about Jones in my upcoming book, Money Players, talking about his shady work as a sports agent. Apparently his bad work wasn't yet finished.

Yesterday, Jones was indicted on bank fraud charges. It is alleged that he and four others "ran a scheme to pocket portions of more than $42 million in mortgage loan." Prosecutors contend that the men "defrauded three Houston banks by acquiring mortgage loans far in excess of the properties' value and then diverting the money for personal use."

Let's rewind: When Jones retired he became a sports agent. Chris Dishman, a former Jones’ teammate on the Oilers, became one of his clients. Dishman allowed Jones to manage his investments in addition to negotiating his playing contract. Dishman alleged that Jones engaged in unauthorized trading and in “churning” his account. The National Association of Securities Dealers awarded Dishman awarded $550,000 in damages. Dishman didn’t collect any money from the judgment. Said Dishman, "It got too expensive to keep trying to track [Jones] down. I didn’t have the money to keep fighting it. I didn’t win anything.” Of course, the Joneses, as namesakes go, have always been hard to keep up with.

In 2003 Jones was de-certified as an agent by the NFL Players Association related to his financial dealings with Dallas Cowboy Ebenezer Ekuban, a Jones client. Jones persuaded Ekuban to guarantee a $1-million real estate loan that ultimately defaulted; and to lend Jones $300,000, some of which was never repaid.

With his career options dwindling, Jones called the one (perhaps only) person willing to overlook all his flaws. So Al Davis hired Jones to work for the Raiders in 2004. On the team's website, Jones described himself this way: "I work in the Personnel department of the Raiders. Given my financial background, my experience as an agent, and having been in the broadcast booth, I bring a unique perspective to the team. I assess players to determine their weaknesses and also look at how they might be able to help us in the future." In what may be his best post-NFL career outcome, Jones was fired in 2007 without any criminal charges or allegations.

April 25, 2007

NFL commish Roger Goodell set memos to NFL teams warning them not to leak confidential information. While NFL fans have an insatiable appetite for draft informaiton, it is imperative that NFL teams protect private information concerning draft prospects. This issue comes up every year, typically over leaked Wonderlic Test scores. NFL teams have legitimate reasons to conduct extensive background checks. However, if they are going to acquire this information, NFL have a responsibility to ensure that players' rights are protected.

Last week Pro Football Weekly revealed that three top NFL prospects admitted marijuana use.

Goodell told USA Today, "I'm troubled by the breach of confidentiality. Whenever you get into these situations leading up to the draft, you have a lot of misinformation put out there...We've got to be very careful not to let information that is supposed to be confidential get distributed."